Lowbie

About

Lowbie is a slang term used on Twitter that means a low-level mutual with a small follower count. The term was originally used in the early 2000s to define low-level characters in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. In the 2020s, its usage on Twitter became more prominent in comparisons to blue check marks, Reply Guys and Niche Internet Micro Celebrities.

Origin

On April 30th, 2005, "lowbie" was first added to Urban Dictionary ^[1] by user DirtyJim who defined it as, "the equivalent of "newbie," someone who sucks at internet gaming, or the internet in general. Used commonly in World Of Warcraft."

Spread

In mid-2007, "lowbie" was used on Twitter^[2] within WOW circles. In 2010, it was first referenced on Reddit's /wow/^[3] subreddit. Also in 2010, the term was used heavily on 4chan ^[4] in discourse about RPGs.

"Lowbie" Twitter Meaning

On November 20th, 2018, Twitter^[5] user BUSSCRO humorously compared the differences between getting made fun of by a Twitter user with 90 followers versus a "25k follower guy" taking his side, ultimately labeling the 90-follower user as a "little lowbie." Over the course of two years, the tweet received over 55 likes (shown below, left). On November 24th, 2018, Twitter^[6] user feufillet tweeted, "A lowbie, a big account, and a DSA guy enter a woman's DMs…" In the same time period, the tweet received over 500 likes (shown below, right).

On October 14th, 2019, Twitter^[7] user GarlicCorgi tweeted the "lowbie goblin's chant," earning roughly 1,500 likes in three years (shown below, left). In early 2022, the term trended en masse due to a few viral tweets that referenced the concept. For instance, on March 6th, 2022, Twitter^[8] user viperwave compared Paul Dano's The Riddler from The Batman (2022) to a Twitter lowbie, earning roughly 5,700 likes in five months (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References